Japanese rock (sometimes abbreviated J-rock) is the Japanese form of rock music. Since the actual musical style can differ greatly from one work to another, Japanese rock only qualifies as a music genre in so far as it describes where given artist or band originates from and in which language titles and lyrics probably are. Slate.com points out that "Japan's long been a music geek's paradise, a Valhalla of reverent remasters of American and British albums that time and fashion have passed by in their native lands", and as a result, "Japan's bands are by turns bracingly experimental and jubilantly retro, a land where our own greatest music returns with an alienated majesty."Visual kei (ヴィジュアル系, vijuaru kei, literally "visual style" ) refers to a movement in Japanese popular culture characterized by the use of eccentric, sometimes flamboyant looks. This usually involves striking make-up, unusual hair styles and elaborate costumes, often, but not always, coupled with androgyny or distinctively feminine or bishōnen aesthetics.
These looks have enjoyed popularity especially in Japanese music, ranging from independent underground projects to artists achieving mainstream success, with similarities to and influences from European and American genres like new wave, punk and glam rock. Magazines published regularly in Japan with a visual kei focus include Arena 57°C, Fool's Mate and Shoxx, noted bands who at least at some point sported a visual kei theme include Luna Sea, Malice Mizer and X Japan.

(click the images to view the band's torrents)

Dir en grey is a Japanese band formed in 1997. As of 2007, it has released six full-length records and is among the handful of Japanese bands to have enjoyed notable success in Europe and North America. While the group's lineup has remained consistent since its inception, numerous stylistic changes have made its music's genre difficult to determine (though it is generally considered to be a form of rock music). Originally part of Japan's visual kei movement, Dir en grey has opted for less flamboyant attire in recent years. More...

X Japan is a popular Japanese band founded in 1982 by Toshimitsu "Toshi" Deyama and Yoshiki Hayashi. Originally named X (エックス), the group achieved its breakthrough success in 1989 with the release of their second album Blue Blood. They started out as a power/speed metal band and later gravitated towards a progressive sound, at all times retaining an emphasis on ballads. More...

Maximum The Hormone (マキシマムザホルモン, Makishimamu Za Horumon) is a four-member Japanese rock band. 2006 saw the band's breakout into popular culture with the song Koi no Megalover, reaching number nine on the Oricon charts during the summer of 2006; their first top-ten hit in Japan. The band had three of their songs featured in anime series; What's up, people?! and Zetsubou Billy, are featured as the opening and ending tracks, respectively, of the Death Note anime series, and Akagi is featured as the ending theme for the Akagi anime series. More...

Mucc (ムック, mukku, sometimes referred to as 69, which is pronounced "muku" in Japanese) is a Japanese rock band formed in 1997. Supposedly named after a character from the Japanese children's program Ponkickies, the band has, as of 2007, released seven studio albums, along with several live albums, EPs, singles and DVDs, some of which were also released in Europe. More...

The GazettE (ガゼット) is a Japanese visual kei rock band. The band was formed in early 2002 and is currently signed to PS Company, a notable production company that has also worked with Miyavi, Alice Nine, Kra and Kagrra. In an interview with Fool's Mate magazine, most members cited Luna Sea and X Japan as their favorite and most respected bands. More...

Nightmare (ナイトメア, Naitomea) is a Japanese Visual Kei band. Most of their songs have a heavy rock element with a heavy bass line and tricky rhythms. Although their recent songs have a slight pop/alternative element, the band has still kept its roots from their indies' days. They have also experimented with jazz, electronica, techno and bossa nova styles of music. Even though most of their songs are fast tempoed, they have written a fair amount of rock ballads as well. More...

D'espairsRay is a Japanese rock band formed in 1999 by Hizumi, Karyu, Zero and Tsukasa. The lineup has since remained the same and as of March 2007, the group has released several singles and EPs, as well as a two full-length records. Besides Japan, D'espairsRay have also toured Europe and North America in recent years, along with domestic releases in these territories. They performed at the Wacken Open Air festival in 2006, and a second album, titled Mirror was released on April 11, 2007. More...

Girugamesh (ギルガメッシュ, girugamesshu, gilgamesh in western pronunciation, often typeset as girugämesh to fit official logos) at is a Japanese rock band, formed in 2003. Formed in 2003 in the suburbs of Tokyo, Shuu and Nii had been friends since elementary school, the earliest incarnation of the band made its first performance while the members were still in high school. girugamesh began playing gigs with their current lineup in 2004, until they were signed to record label Gaina-Japan. Their first major single, Kaisen Sengen was ranked #10 on the Oricon Indies chart. More...

Polysics is a Japanese new wave/Rock band from Tokyo, who personally dub their unique style as "technicolor pogo punk". The band started in 1997, but got their big break in 1998 at a concert in Tokyo. They create high energy music, fusing conventional guitar music, with synthesized and computer generated sound to create a unique mixture of punk and Synthpop, heavily inspired by the American bands Devo and The Tubes, and Japanese bands such as P-Model and Yellow Magic Orchestra. Their song lyrics often consist of Japanese, English, or just plain gibberish. The band has been noted for their extremely energetic live performances and their wild gimmicky outfits. More...

Miyavi is a Japanese solo rock artist and former guitarist for the visual kei indies band Dué le quartz, which disbanded in 2002. In the same year, Miyabi announced that he was going solo, changed his name to Miyavi, and released his debut album Gagaku. He soon signed a contract with PS Company along with other artists such as Alice Nine, Kagrra, The Gazette, and Kra. More...

#73 EmoKid, "... sry, didn't understand what 'квиты' means?? ..." - so it's your problem
sorry, but i can't explain this word to you...it need to know
or not...okei, i try: it means, that we each other anything should not any more ^_^